President Bush on Monday gave Saddam Hussein a 48-hour deadline to flee Iraq or face a U.S.-led invasion. "The tyrant will soon be gone," Bush vowed.

He also raised the terror alert to the second-highest level, warning that terrorists may strike U.S. interests at home or abroad in response to action against Iraq.

Bush said he had ordered increased security at airports and along U.S. waterways. "These attacks are not inevitable. They are, however, possible," Bush said. "We will not be intimidated by thugs and killers."

In a 15-minute TV address, the American president told the Iraqi people, "The day of your liberation is near." He said that if Saddam does not leave, the U.S. will attack "at a time of our choosing."

Bush spoke after deciding to raise the nation's terrorism alert from yellow to orange, the second-highest category of risk.

Spelling out the threat, the American leader said Saddam has weapons of mass destruction he might share with terrorists, has a history of hating America and is a destabilizing force in the Middle East.

"The United States did nothing to deserve or invite this threat, but we will do everything to defeat it. Instead of drifting along toward tragedy, we will set a course toward safety," the president said from the White House. "Before the day of horror can come, this danger will be removed."

"The tyrant will soon be gone," he said.

He expressed disappointment that the United Nations had failed to stand beside the United States. "The United Nations Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities so we will rise to ours," he said.

"Saddam Hussein and his sons must leave Iraq within 48 hours," Bush said. "Their refusal to do so will result in military conflict to commence at a time of our choosing."

Bush said that after 12 years of diplomacy and weapons inspections, "Our good faith has not been returned. The Iraqi regime has used diplomacy as a ploy to gain time and advantage." "We are not dealing with peaceful men," he said.

Bush also addressed Iraqi troops. "If war comes, do not fight for a dying regime that is not worth your own life," Bush said. He told soldiers to listen carefully to his warning that they should not destroy oil wells or use weapons of mass destruction.

To civilians in Iraq he said, "If we must begin a military campaign it will be directed to lawless men who direct your country and not at you."

He pledged the United States would provide food, medicine and other assistance as Iraq recovers from war. (Albawaba.com)